Many politicians are looking at a Covid-19 vaccine as the answer to ending this pandemic, but researchers suggest that there are many factors that could cause the vaccine to be less effective.
As vaccine developers work to create a cure to Covid-19, there are worries over its possible side effects, longevity, and its overall effectiveness.
According to Business Insider, researchers have observed vaccinated volunteers, “experience some mild side effects, such as fevers, fatigue, and pain at the injection site.” This comes as a setback for getting Americans to receive the vaccine, due to many already being wary of vaccine side effects.
This is especially concerning for older people, who are not only more at risk for the virus but may not be able to tolerate the side effects mentioned.
Moderna, a vaccine developing company, has hopes of creating a vaccine with 60 percent reduction in symptomatic disease. This means, like the flu vaccine, the antibodies would not prevent the likeliness to catch the virus, but instead would reduce the effects of symptoms that come with the virus.
Research by Lancet describes that the antibodies produced by the vaccine have been shown to only last three to five weeks. This means to achieve herd immunization, multiple yearly vaccinations will be necessary.
With all these components of the Covid-19 vaccine, public health officials suggest that Americans should still continue to social distance and wear masks in public areas.
